A recent report by The Athletic has revealed that Julio Urías, a pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, faced five misdemeanor charges stemming from an alleged incident outside BMO Stadium last fall. The charges include one count of spousal battery, two counts of domestic battery in a dating relationship, one count of false imprisonment, and one count of assault. TMZ first reported the charges against Urías.
The arrest occurred when Urías was attending an LAFC game at BMO Stadium in September. An altercation between Urías and a woman took place in the parking lot. According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s report, Urías engaged in an argument with the woman, pushed her against a fence, and pulled her by the hair or shoulders. While he was initially arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence, no felony charges were filed in January.
Following the arrest, MLB placed Urías on administrative leave. The Dodgers swiftly cleared out his locker, covered a mural featuring him at the stadium, and canceled a planned bobblehead night for Urías. MLB is conducting an investigation into the incident.
As a free agent now, Urías had a 4.60 ERA last season and was pivotal in the Dodgers winning the World Series in 2020. This incident marked the second domestic violence issue Urías has been involved in after serving a 20-game suspension in 2019 for allegedly pushing a woman to the ground in a parking lot. If MLB hands down a suspension in this case, Urías would be only the fourth player suspended under the domestic violence policy as a free agent, and the suspension would carry over to his next team.